You Were A Newsie
by Dakota-Jones
Summary: When the strike begins, Pulitzer sees the storm coming, and he does something about it. And now, Blink has only three weeks to make a journey that may or may not erase the strike of 1899 from the history books...
1. CC and Seperation

AN: My next big project is here! And this one is weirder than ever…and there will be SLASH, for all you slashy ladies out there, but not much oppurtunity for it due to circumstances (so all you non-slash people out there should still like it)…however, it will be a very sweet romance Mush/Blink-wise. Other pairs will become clear in time.

CC at the end of this intro! 

Summary: When the strike begins, Pulitzer sees that it is going to be a big problem for him. So he decides to do something about it. He kidnaps 14 of the main newsies, 13 from Manhattan and Spot, and he sends them into the future, where they are given new memories and new lives.

However, with one of the newsies, the process was rushed. And now Blink is in the future, with all his memories intact, and he has one month to make a cross country dash to find the others. They've been spread out across America, from New York to California. 

In order to save the strike, he must find each newsie, convince him that he _was_ a newsie, and then send them back two at a time back to 1899.

And if he doesn't return all of them to their own time within one month, there will be no going back for those left., and the strike will fail…

Blink

            I was bound, blindfolded, gagged, and sitting in an unfamiliar place. I could hear the sound of machinery, and the sound of people yelling at each other, telling them to hurry up.

            Suddenly my blindfold was taken off and my gagged removed, and I looked around, but I was just in a plain room with two doors. I noticed that Mush was sitting beside me, also tied up, and Skittery was just down from him.

            "Mush, Skitts…what's goin' on?"

            "I don't know. Dey keep talkin' about Pulitzer." Mush said.

            I swallowed hard; that could only mean one thing. We'd just declared our strike today, and they were making sure we couldn't follow through. They were going to kill us.

            Suddenly a huge man came in and grabbed Skittery by the arm, violently jerking him to his feet and dragging him out of the room. God knows how many others they had…they could've gotten all of us newsies, for all we knew.

            "Blink?" Mush suddenly said.

            "Yeah?"

            Mush shifted nervously, and I met his gaze, trying to seem strong. 

            "I just…If dey kill us…"

            "Dey ain't gonna kill us, Mush."

            "But if they do…I just wanted to say…"

            I looked up at him in anticipation, and I realized that he truly thought that these were our last minutes together- in fact, I knew what he was about to say, but he was just having trouble saying it. I was about to speak when two men came in and dragged us to our feet and then started to pull us toward separate doors.

            "Blink! _I love you_!" Mush yelled, trying to break free.

            "_Mush_!"

            Quite suddenly, as the doors shut between Mush and I, everything went black.

CC!

            Yes, I am officially holding a casting call! However none of the parts will be major or constant- I want this to be strictly Blink's story, but he's going to need help along the way. 

            Here are the requirements: no limit on # of characters per person (I may end up needing a lot), and I am looking for creative, one of a kind characters. Remember- this story is going to be flying everywhere from the slums of NYC, to po-dunk towns in Texas, to the ritz and glamour of Los Angeles. Send me ALL TYPES of characters (and both genders, please, but more girls than boys), no matter how weird they are- in fact, I'd prefer that they be off-the-wall characters! So put on your creative helmets.

            Here's everything I want you to answer about your character. These are minimum requirements, but write EVERYTHING you know about them.

Name:

Age:

Physical Appearance:

Family Life:

Location: (This is just a generality. I have specific locations where I'll use them, just tell me whether they're big city, bar fly, normal suburbs, cowgirl, etc.)

Clothing Style:

Unique Qualities:

Personality:

Bad Habits/Obsessions:

Anything Else I Need To Know To Write Them:

Remember, give me all kinds of people- shy and outgoing, inhospitable and downright friendly…I need creativity!

Thanks! And hurry up with those characters…I'm not one to wait long to continue writing.

Also, you guys are going to love our newsies in this…because none of them are going to be like they were in 1899…in fact, some of them are downright opposite of themselves, and that's just another one of Blink's obstacles…


	2. An Intro to The Future

AN: Okay.this is the most important author note I'll ever write.  
  
Never ever ever ever let me do a casting call ever again.  
  
That was the craziest, most hectic thing I've ever done on this site. I have to say I got about thirty characters, and I'm going to be using about twenty. I was sitting in Music Theory class trying to concentrate on chord structure and which CC characters go where at the same time, and I'll tell you right now, don't try it. It's impossible.  
  
I guess I don't even need to say how pleased I am with the reaction. I got so many good characters I can't see straight- and in fact, I won't be able to use all of them, I got so many! Ack!  
  
The two CC characters in this chapter, Roxanne and Andrew, are thanks to Chicago. Thanks to everyone for giving me characters- you will be thanked personally in the chapter in which I use your character. I may tweak a little, but I'm trying my hardest not to change much about them.  
  
Oh, and Chicago? Never mind about that issue I e-mailed you about. It's all worked itself out, and that aspect of your character won't be changed.  
  
Sorry about how long this has taken. Things have taken a turn for the worst here.and I'm so depressed, it's making me sick. But I want to have this done before Nov. 1st, cause I'm taking part in the nanowrimo month. If you LOVE writing and you want more information about an amazingly crazy worldwide writing activity, got to nanowrimo.org and take a look. Enough babbling. On with the chapter, and CC is officially closed!!!  
  
Blink  
  
All I saw was a flash. A bright flash of light, a flash of blinding pain, and then I was standing in the middle of a road.  
  
And there was a small bright yellow thing flying at me at an unreal speed.  
  
I heard a loud, blaring noise and a screeching sound, and I dove out of the road only to find myself in another nightmare. I was run into by three people in a row, one wearing a suit, the next a little kid, and then the third.she had to be a prostitute. Had to be. Skirts that short are never worn in public, or in daylight, unless the girl wearing it is a whore.  
  
"Hey, watch it!"  
  
I was knocked aside again, this time into the side of a building. And as I took a few deep breaths and looked around, I thought I had to be dreaming.  
  
Huge, shiny buildings touched the sky on all sides, looking as if they might fall inward on me any moment. People were everywhere, swarming the sidewalks and parts of the streets. And the streets.that was a whole different story.  
  
What looked like dozens of carriages without horses were flying down the street, and I couldn't even begin to fathom how that was working.  
  
I looked down and suddenly realized that I was wearing the same rough, blue pants that many others were wearing, and a plain black short sleeved shirt. No suspenders, no button up shirt. My hands flew to my face, and I was relieved to find that my patch was still in its place, the same burlap material that was somewhat comforting. But.where was I? Where did these clothes come from? Who the hell were these people? Where was I? I was going crazy. I was insane. I had to be. This wasn't right.  
  
"Hey, kid? Are you okay?"  
  
I looked up and locked eyes with a guy in a suit, his tone concerned but looking less than interested. And after a few moments, he just turned and started walking again. And that's when my legs gave out, and everything went black again.  
  
I wasn't out for long, maybe a minute, at most. I heard someone talking, and I felt a hand on my wrist.  
  
"He's alive.I think. Call the police, Marie.here, use my cell phone."  
  
Cell phone? What was a cell phone? Did it even matter?  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"I'm not sure. He just dropped. My wife is calling an ambulance."  
  
Ambulance? That didn't sound good. No, I didn't know what it was, but it still didn't sound good. I needed to at least try to move. My head was spinning, a dull thud of constant pain plaguing me, but I needed to figure this out.  
  
God, what I would give for Mush to be here.  
  
I opened my eye slowly, trying to slow my own breathing before I hyperventilated. I tried to get a clear view of the people around me, but it was too bright. Then, a shadow fell over me.  
  
"He's awake!" the woman said, and then she reached down and smoothed the hair away from my face. "Just hold on. An ambulance is coming."  
  
I finally couldn't take it anymore. "What.in da hell.is an ambulance?"  
  
Her face twisted into confusion and then concern, and she looked up at the other people standing around and said, "He's delirious. They'd better hurry.he may have heatstroke or something."  
  
What? Delirious? Heatstroke?  
  
There was another commotion as I closed my eyes again, and someone saying, "Let me through, I'm his sister. Let me through!"  
  
I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position, and looked closely at the girl who claimed to be my 'sister'. But looking at her only confused me further.  
  
Her hair was blue. On top of that, it was cut to her chin. Her blue eyes held only slight concern, but mostly she looked patronizing.  
  
"I can't believe you, Josh! Leaving the house without your medication.what were you thinking?"  
  
I stuttered for a moment, and she rolled her eyes and yanked me to my feet, where a boy who looked a whole lot like her (except his hair was blond) grabbed my other arm and they began leading me away from the baffled crowd.  
  
I was still in a state of shock. So many noises, so many lights, so many strange people.I couldn't seem to catch my breath, and I could feel my legs weakening again. As my weight fell onto the two people holding me up, they pulled me into an empty building.  
  
"Sit down, Blink." The girl said, helping me to the floor.  
  
"How do ya know my name?" I asked, and she smiled.  
  
"We know a whole lot about you. But that doesn't matter right now. We're here to make sure you know the ground rules."  
  
The boy stepped forward, crossing his arms. "Talk about brutal honesty.come on, Roxanne, he's confused as hell. Give him a break."  
  
"Fine! If you think you can do any better, go ahead!" Roxanne snapped.  
  
The boy sat down beside me, not affected by Roxanna's obvious temper problem. "I'm Andrew. That's my twin, Roxanne. You're in the future, Blink. The year 2003."  
  
I had to laugh at that. "You's kidding me, right?"  
  
"Told you he wouldn't believe us." Roxanne said, pulling back an old, torn curtain to look out the window.  
  
"You knew Kloppman, didn't you?" Andrew asked, undeterred.  
  
"Yeah, I know him."  
  
"He's our great-great-great-great grandfather. He passed down the word that you were going to be here. And that you would need our help."  
  
"Dat's crazy."  
  
"But it's true."  
  
Roxanne sighed and walked over to us, shifting her weight nervously. "Look, Blink, here's the score. You and your friends were sent into the future by Pulitzer. All your friends are living normal future lives, but they messed up in your case, and you remember. You're the only one that does. You have four weeks to find your friends and send them back, or the strike fails. On top of that, there are people whose sole purpose in life for the next three weeks is going to be to find you and kill you."  
  
"Whoa, slow down...hold on a second. Ya lost me." I said, sitting up and trying to gather all that information.  
  
Somebody was out to kill me for the sole fact that I remembered all this insanity. I had a four week time limit to find the newsies, or the strike would fail. And none of them even remembered me.  
  
Mush didn't remember me.  
  
Oh, God. I couldn't take that.  
  
"Blink? Are you okay?" Andrew asked, and I nodded.  
  
"I just.dis is." I stuttered, but I couldn't even manage to finish a coherent thought, let alone speak one.  
  
"We don't have time for this. They're going to find us." Roxanne said. "We'll just have to tell him on the way."  
  
That caught my attention. "Who's gonna find us?"  
  
Andrew pulled me to my feet, concerned but determined. "They know you're here. We have to get you to Philadelphia."  
  
"Philadelphia? Why Philadelphia?"  
  
"Because that's where the first newsie is."  
  
They pulled me out the back door of the building, and there sat one of the machines that had been flying down the street at me, a small red one. He pushed me toward it, but I hesitated.  
  
"It's a car. A carriage without horses. Get in."  
  
He opened the back door of the car and I stepped in, sitting down and waiting as he closed the door and got in the front with Roxanne.  
  
"Put on your seatbelt." Roxanne said, and I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Roxanne." Andrew started cautiously.  
  
She sighed and turned around in her seat, reaching back towards me and grabbing a strap which she pulled out of the seat and handed to me.  
  
"Snap it in the buckle. Right there." She said, and I followed her directions. Then Andrew started the car, and I heard a low growling sound and felt a jolt as the car lurched forward. I grabbed onto the edge of my seat, but I couldn't help but notice that it was a whole lot smoother of a ride than a carriage with horses would be.  
  
He pulled out of the alley, using the wheel to turn the car out onto the main road, where we merged with the other cars. I watched out the windows with amazement, finally convinced that I had to be in the future.  
  
All kinds of people walked the streets, wearing all kinds of clothes. Suits, all different colors and patterns, skirts.nothing like what the newsies wore. The buildings seemed miles tall, and all of them were covered in what looked like glass. The roads were wider, and smoother, and they had yellow and white lines painted all over them. There was chaos everywhere, noise, yelling, colored lights hanging above the streets, signs all over the place.  
  
Suddenly the sound of gunshots broke the silence of the car, and I felt glass hit the back of my head and neck as the back window of the car shattered. Roxanne yelled something at me and I ducked my head as I tried to get the seatbelt off. I hit the buckle a few times and it finally snapped off, and I threw it aside as I dived for the floor, more gunshots and screams filling the air.  
  
The car lurched forward again, this time more violently, and I slammed into the back of the front seats. I heard the same screeching sound from earlier and the car made a sharp turn, throwing me headfirst into the door. I yelped in pain, and the car skidded around another corner before slamming to a stop.  
  
For a moment, all was silent. Then Andrew's voice broke the silence.  
  
"We lost them. They didn't see us."  
  
Roxanne turned in her seat to look at me. "Blink.are you okay?"  
  
God, I was sick of people asking me if I was okay. Other than a headache made worse by a slam to the head, I was fine.  
  
"I'm okay." I said, pushing myself back up onto the seat. Andrew sighed heavily, laying his forehead on the wheel and breathing deeply. "What happened?" I asked, even though I knew perfectly well what had happened.  
  
"Just like Roxanne told you.they want you dead. Before you find the others."  
  
I buried my face in my hands, wondering what I did to deserve this. Why couldn't it have been Jack? Or Spot? Someone who was actually strong, a leader who could handle this.  
  
"Blink.if you don't do this.no one else will. And you'll never see Mush again."  
  
My head snapped up. "How'd you know about Mush?"  
  
"Just another thing that we just know." Andrew said with a smile.  
  
I thought about it, but only for a moment. If I didn't do this, the strike would fail, I would be killed, and I'd never see Mush again. I had to try.  
  
"Okay. I'll try."  
  
"On to Philly." Andrew said with a nod, starting the car again and slowly pulling out the other side.  
  
Roxanne dug into her bag and pulled out a book, but when she opened it, it turned out to be a box that only looked like a book. She pulled out pocket watch on a strap and then held out her hand. "Here. Give me your hand."  
  
I hesitated, and then I reached out to her. She grabbed onto my hand and then strapped the watch to my wrist.  
  
"This is what you'll use to check your deadline and send the boys back. See, right now you've got 27 days, 23 hours, 33 minutes and 54 seconds."  
  
I looked at the watch, which was sure enough counting down from that exact time. Roxanne gestured to two buttons on either side of the watch. "You have to send the newsies back in pairs. Two at a time only. When you want to send them back, have them each place a finger on one of the two buttons, and then you press the button on the top. They'll go back, and you go on to the next city."  
  
"But.what if dey don't believe me?"  
  
Andrew took over on this one. "They have to believe you. In order to be sent back, they must have some memory of being a newsie. They have to know they were a newsie. Bringing the memories back will be harder with some than others."  
  
Oh. That worried me a bit, when I thought about trying to convince someone like Spot of something he didn't believe.  
  
Roxanne pulled a paper out of her 'box', unfolded it, and handed it to me. "This is a list of the newsies' new names, and the cities they live in. That's all we've got to give you, though. Once you find the city, you'll have to find your friend on your own. Maybe ask around the town, see who knows him."  
  
"You mean.you're not gonna help me?"  
  
Andrew laughed. "No. However, we have taken the liberty to call people in certain cities and tell them that you'll be there; they can help you. Their addresses are on that list as well."  
  
"But.how am I supposed ta get to these places?"  
  
Roxanne looked at Andrew and shrugged. "Hitchhike?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Hitchhike. You stand by the side of the road, stick your thumb out, and hope that whoever picks you up is going where you're going."  
  
I cringed. "Ya mean.get inta one of these things? With a total stranger?"  
  
"Hey, either that or walk." Roxanne said. "But hopefully you won't have to hitchhike often. Like I said, those people we've listed should be able to help you, and the newsies that you pick up will be able to drive you to the next newsie."  
  
Andrew interrupted her once again. "Which brings me to our next warning. Your friends may be different than how you remember them. Some of them very different."  
  
"Dis is a whole lot to remember." I muttered, rubbing my temples and trying to somewhat relieve the pounding pain in my head.  
  
"No pressure, Blink. Just a month long cross country trip to save the past."  
  
AN: And the next chapter.Blink meets and tries his luck with the first newsie.  
  
Again, sorry for the gap in updates. I'll update quicker from now on. That's a promise.  
  
Skitts!Muse: Yeah, or I'll beat her over the head with that stick I always dance with.  
  
Dakota: Shut up. I hold your fate in my hands here. And your lover-boy's, too.  
  
Skitts!Muse: I hate you.  
  
Dakota: Yeah, well, too bad.  
  
Review! Be sure to tell me I'm an idiot for letting my depressed mood get in the way of my updating! 


	3. Alien Freak!

AN: I have another warning: I will be making up some fictional places in real cities…like high school names and stuff. Don't mind the slight inaccuracy, cause I'm a lazy bum who doesn't like doing hours of research.

No CC characters in this chapter. In the next one there will be, though. But in this chapter I have two characters that just kind of came on a whim…they're quite funny, and they think Blink is a German tourist!

Blink

            The entire car ride was a basic lesson in futuristic stuff. Andrew tried to show me how the car worked, while Roxanne kept an eye on the cars around us to make sure my assassins weren't following. 

            I eventually sat back and took a look at the list, looking desperately for the last name 'Meyers'. And of course, it was at the very end of the list, all the way across the country. A whole 12 names before him.

            Most of the names I didn't recognize. However, the first one's last name was Kelly, so I assumed that it had to be Jack. There was also a Jacobs, a Conlon, and a Higgins. And near the end of the list there was a last name that looked almost German or Dutch…maybe Dutchy.

            14 of us had been kidnapped and sent to the future. Pulitzer had to be insane to go that far. Absolutely insane.

            "So…how do I avoid dose guys?"

            Roxanne raised an eyebrow. "What guys?"

            I rolled my eyes. "Ya know, da ones out ta kill me?"

            "Well, first off, they're not guys. They're two highly trained _female_ assassins. And I have no idea how you're going to get out of this alive, so don't ask me."

            "Roxanne!" Andrew snapped. "Blink, we honestly didn't know these people were going to be after you until we started getting death threats at our door if we helped you. We have no idea who they are, and I'm sorry to say we didn't plan on them being here."

            "So you's sayin' exactly what she said."

            "Um…well, yeah. Only in a much less blunt manner."

            I sighed and leaned back, staring out at the large wooden poles that stood by the side of every single road we'd been on. I'd pretty much adjusted to the sight of the cars and semis, but when something huge and metal _flew_ over the car, I immediately ducked.

            "Blink? Blink, what's wrong?" Roxanne asked, turning around to look at me.

            "Didn't ya see dat?"

            "See _what_?" Andrew asked, looking around the area while still trying to keep the car on the road.

            "_It flew right ovah da damn car_!"

            Both Roxanne and Andrew burst out laughing at the same time, and I sat up, glaring at them from the backseat.

            "What's so funny?"

            "That was an airplane, Blink. It's just like a car…only it flies."

            "You mean…dey actually made flyin' cars?"

            Roxanne was still laughing at me, but managed to calm down and say, "Yeah. Flying cars."

            It was a couple of hours to Philadelphia, and once we got there, problems only seemed to compound themselves. We had no idea where to even begin to look to find 'Andrew Kelly'. And let me tell you, Philadelphia was no small city in 1899, and it certainly hadn't gotten any smaller. The streets were almost as crowded as the ones in New York City, people and cars everywhere, but some of the architecture a little more familiar- some looked like it was pulled straight out of 1899 NYC.

            "Andrew…Where do we start?" Roxanne asked, the fact that she was nervous finally shining through.

            "Well…I say we check the local high schools."

            "What if he's home-schooled?"

            "Hang on…how do ya know he goes ta school? Jack wouldn't go to school!" I said.

            Andrew shrugged. "Nowadays kids are required to go to school. It's not an option."

            "You _have_ to go to school?!"

            Roxanne laughed. "Wish we didn't."

            _Wham!_

            The car jolted forward and I snapped against my seatbelt, the breath getting knocked out of me and my head snapping forward. I gasped for air as Andrew and Roxanne recovered, both of them spinning around at the same time to look behind us.

            "Blink, run! Go!" Roxanne yelled, yanking off her seatbelt and jumping out of the car. Andrew leaped out as well, and when I got out and turned around, I found out why.

            Two women in black suits were getting out of their now-wrecked car, each having a gun holstered to her side and watching me carefully as I stood frozen. Then, Roxanne cut loose.

            She got in three kicks before one of the women even reacted. One of the women took on Roxanne- who was moving too fast to follow with expert punches and kicks- while the other woman's eyes locked on me.

            "Run, you idiot! Go find Andrew!" Andrew yelled, and then he stepped between me and my assailant. I turned around and took off down the street, bolting between cars and ignoring the horn blasts and the constant yelling.

            I turned back only momentarily to see Andrew get thrown face-first onto the hood of the car, and for a moment I debated going back to help. But then I remembered that _I_ was the one that they wanted to kill…a good reason to avoid them, at all costs.

            I only stopped running after I couldn't possibly have taken another step, and I found myself in front of a library. I decided that this was the last place they'd look for me, and so I stepped up to the doors…

            Which promptly swung open without me laying a finger on them.

            I jumped back as the doors stood open, looking around for anyone who could've opened the door, from the inside or the outside, but there was no one around. Two people walked past me and into the building, and nothing happened to them, so I cautiously stepped through the self-opening doors.

            Now, this wasn't too bad. Except for the 'computers' which Andrew described to me and told me I'd be seeing all over, this looked pretty simple, non futuristic. A place I could relax and catch my breath until I felt safe again.

            I sat down at one of the tables, down a few seats from a group of people who looked to be around my age. They were involved in their own conversation, but they would cast short glances over at me, as if I wasn't a 'usual' in here.

            "Hey kid." One of the girls snapped, and I looked up. "Do you have a cell phone?"

            A cell phone…what in the hell was a cell phone? I'd heard them mention it when I was on the street in New York, but that was one thing Andrew hadn't explained. 

            I quickly shook my head, knowing that if I didn't know what it was, I probably didn't have one with me. The girl nodded and they got up to leave, but I suddenly got an idea.

            "Hey. Um…do ya know an Andrew Kelly?"

            The kids looked at each other with absolute disgust on their faces. Then the same girl spoke again. "Yeah, we know him. That bastard cost us the regional academic competition."

            Regional _what_? Oh well, that didn't matter. They knew him, so that was a plus."Do ya know where I could find him?"

            'Well…since it's during school hours, he's probably at school. Um…Kingston High School. Right guys?"

            One of the guys snorted. "Yeah, that school for nerds. Come on, let's get back to class before we get caught."

            With that, they left, and I stood up and headed for the door. Once again, it opened without a single push or pull, and I stepped out onto the busy streets again.

            _Okay, now what_? I thought, looking around the street. _Get directions to the school. Simple enough._

            I stopped the first people I saw, two middle aged ladies who seemed to be pretty decent looking people. 

            "Excuse me, ladies. Do you'se happen ta know where da Kingston High School is?"

            The women looked at me as if I were from a different planet. Then, one turned to the other and asked, "Is he speaking English?"

            "I think so."

            "It kind of sounded like German."

            "Well, why don't you ask him?"

            They both looked at me, and I realized that my accent must be pretty bad. I mean, one hundred years…I didn't even know if anyone talked like me anymore! I quickly juggled my thoughts to try and clean up my grammar- something I only had to do when yelling headlines.

            "Where is Kingston High School?"

            "Oh! It is English!" one of them said, and I rolled my eyes. Usually I was polite with ladies, but these two were getting on my nerves very quickly.

            "You're a long way from Kingston. You'll need a cab to get there. It's on 3rd street."

            I mentally panicked again. "Um, ma'am…what's a cab?"

            Both of the ladies burst out laughing again. 

            "I knew he was a foreign tourist! The poor thing…Gillian, let's give him a ride there."

            "We're kind of in a hurry, June."

            "But he's so adorable, and he's obviously lost. Please?"

            It was amazing. I could stand here and not say a single word, and these two women could hold an entire debate in reference to me. I watched as 'Gillian' considered for a moment, and then nodded.

            "Oh, alright."

            June grabbed my arm and pulled me along toward their small silver car. "We'll take you right to the high school, hon! Don't worry!"

I sat in the back and listened with abated interest as the two women in the front began a conversation with me…without me talking at all.

"So what's your name?" Gillian asked, but before I could answer, June stepped in.

"What if he doesn't understand English?"

"He's alone in Philadelphia. He has to know _some_ English."

"Where do you think his parents are?"

"June, if he does understand English, we probably shouldn't guess out loud."

"Oh…right." A silence followed, and I just sighed. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until just now- after all, I technically hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

June couldn't keep her mouth shut for long, though. She turned around and studied me carefully, arching an eyebrow.

"He doesn't _look_ German. Um…Dutch, maybe?" 

"What are German people supposed to look like?"

"I don't know. I just don't think they look like that."

"Dutch people are like…blond hair, blue eyes, right?"

"That's Swedish."

"I thought those two were like…the same."

And so this continued for the whole half hour car ride. Both women discussed my family, my nationality, my religion, what happened to my eye, and my current place of residence without ever asking me a single question. Well, Gillian would ask questions, and June would answer for me. And finally we pulled up to a large brick building that said Kingston High School on the side.

"Well, there you go, kid. Have fun applying for school here, but they only accept the best of the best. And your English skills being the way they are…"

I finally couldn't take it any more. I stepped out of the car, and then leaned on the open passenger side window, looking right in at June and preparing myself to throw my accent out the window for a full minute.

"My name is Blink. I'm from New York City, I've lived there all my life. I lost my eye from talking back to my dad. I'm not religious, but I believe in God. I'm not German or Dutch…actually, I think my dad said I was Scottish, British, and Native American, some kinda mutt mix. My mom died when I was two years old in a fire. I'm not applying to this school, in fact, I'm looking for a friend who I knew 104 years ago who now goes here. I have no current place of residence; to make it perfectly clear to you fine ladies, I'm homeless. And you know what else?" I leaned into the window a bit further, ignoring the fact that their jaws were already on the car floor. "I speak perfect English."

With that, I threw a "Thank ya!" back at them, losing the proper language and grammar and walking away from the car.

I heard the car screech away at top speed, and I walked up to the doors, and thankfully they didn't open by themselves. And as I walked in, a shrill sound cut through the air, and people poured out of the doors on both sides of the hallway.

I was soon lost in the bustle of kids, and I watched with growing interest as they opened small doors for storing books on the side of the hallways. They were dressed in all kinds of strange fashions, and some even had hair that was brightly colored, like Roxanne's had been, or standing completely on end.

I stopped a kid who looked at least halfway normal, having to practically yell over the din of the hallway. "Do ya know an Andrew Kelly?"

He smiled and nodded, and then he pointed out the door, and I thanked him and quickly made my way back outside. Upon getting to the bottom of the steps, I saw something I thought I would never see.

There was Jack, carrying a two foot high stack of books and wearing huge glasses on his face. He was wearing a clean-pressed white shirt and black pants, and his hair was cut short but smoothed down cleanly. Not a smudge of dirt was to be seen on his whole outfit.

But it was definitely Jack. I just knew. Although I could've had doubts when three guys came up and started taunting him, knocking his books to the ground and shoving him around.

Nobody does that to Jack without going through me first. That was one thing that didn't change with time.

I approached the scene and started helping Jack…well, Andrew…pick up his books, ignoring the taunts of the three thugs and the growing crowd. They seemed to be enjoying the entertainment, like we would when Jack soaked Oscar and Morris every morning.

"Hey, freak…do you want a good beating too? Have us take out your other eye for you?"

Okay, that was just plain uncalled for. Had people lost all respect for people like me in one hundred years?

I stood up and handed Andrew his books, and then I turned to the three very stupid guys. "Look…get outta here or I'll soak all three of you, ya scabbers." I threatened, and they all started laughing. Once again, I knew my accent was to blame.

"What language are you speakin'?" One of them said, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I's speakin' English. But if you don't understand dat, I'll try a more universal language."

With that, I just punched the guy in the face. He was thrown to the ground, and the other two looked at him in shock before coming after me.

Let me tell you right now, no matter how advanced these kids were in technology, they couldn't fight worth shit. Much to the amusement of the other kids, I took them out in about two minutes. They eventually ran for it, yelling insults and threats the whole way, and I turned back to Andrew.

"Hi Andrew. You okay?"

He adjusted the books in his arms and looked at me with confusion all over his features. "Do…Do I know you, sir?"

He called me sir. I couldn't believe it. Jack Kelly had just called me sir! "Yeah, well…ya knew me. But I guess you don't remember me, do ya?"

He shook his head, and then switched his books from one arm to the other and held out his hand. "I…well, you know my name already, I guess…But my friends call me Andy."

I was about to spit in my hand, but seeing that he didn't made me realize that it probably wasn't in common practice anymore. "I'm Blink."

"Just Blink?"

"Yeah. Just Blink. Or Kid Blink, if ya wanna get to particulars."

"And…where exactly should I know you from?"

I took a deep breath, thinking, _here goes_. "Well, you lived wit' me for about seven years. We worked together."

He suddenly gasped, and I jumped in surprise. 

"Are you an alien? Was I abducted? Did you erase my memory, send me back here?" he rattled off, and I was so lost in his strange words that I couldn't find the words to answer.

"I knew it! I knew we weren't alone! How did you take on human form?" he asked, and I shook my head frantically.

"I'm…I'm not an alien. I…I'm from the year 1899. I've been looking for you, Jack."

"Jack?"

"Um…Andrew."

"Why'd you call me Jack?"

"Well…that was your name. Back when you were a newsie."

There. It was out, all laid on the table. And he was looking at me like I was crazy. This was going to be absolutely impossible…hell, I'd been called an immigrant and an alien, and either one would've been easier to believe than a time traveler!

"Do you…wanna come back to my house? I mean, with time traveling and all…you've gotta be hungry. My mom makes a mean dish of macaroni."

My head snapped up. He actually believed me? Was he serious?

"Um…sure."               

He led me to his car, and we began the short drive to his house. I was getting really sick of cars. No one went anywhere in this time without a car! It was crazy! Couldn't they walk once in a while?

Jack's house was big. Not like the mansions of the upper classes of New York City, but it was still really big. And I was once again relieved that the door didn't fly open upon approach. I walked in, and I was amazed at how lavish the furnishings of the house were.

"Mom, I'm home!" Jack yelled, dumping his books on the couch. A stout, heavyset woman who looked nothing like Jack waddled- yes, waddled- out of the next room, enveloping Jack in a hug and then turning to me.

"And who's this young man?" she asked.

"His name is Blink. He helped me out today after school."

"Oh, were those three bothering you again?"

"It wasn't anything big…"

"Oh, nonsense. Those boys need to be taught some manners. That's the third time this week!" she exclaimed, and then she hugged me tightly. "I'm sorry. You're…Blink, right? I'll make you some macaroni."

Jack motioned to the couch, and I sat down quickly, wondering what in the world 'macaroni' was. But right now, I didn't really care. I just needed to eat. And I needed to fully convince Andrew that he had been the city-famous, bold leader of the Manhattan newsies. And though he seemed to believe me about the time traveling…strange as that was…it was a whole different ball game to get him to come with me to Cleveland, Ohio to find the next newsie on the list…

AN: Next chapter, we see if alien freak Jack is willing to take a major leap of faith…and we see if Blink's assassin's have figured out where he is. Oh, and I didn't spell check this chapter before posting it…didn't have time…so don't mind the minor mistakes.


	4. I left my heart in San Francisco

AN: Sorry about the lackage of updatage. Did you know that life sucks? Yeah, I'm sure you guys know. It sucks more than usual right now, cause I'm sick as hell and I haven't been able to sit up, let alone write. Anyways…here's chapter four…

CC Character in this chapter is thanks to Flare!

Blink

            "So…you're really from the past?" Jack asked, leaning back on the couch and pushing his glasses up on his nose. I nodded and shifted nervously, jumping as I heard a loud beep from the kitchen. A few seconds later, Jack's mom shuffled back in the room with a tray in her hands.

            "There you go, boys…eat up!" She said, setting the tray down on the table. On the tray sat two bowls off orange, gooey looking noodles, and two brightly colored cups…with a closed top. I reached for it and yanked my hand back as I realized that it was freezing cold, and then I slowly picked it up and took a closer look. 

            "Um…do you need some help with that?" Jack asked, and I reluctantly handed the strange object over to him. He tapped the lid, and then grabbed the tab on the top and pulled up. There was a snap, and a hole opened up in the top.

            He handed it back to me and then opened up his own, and I tentatively took a sip.

            And I jolted back in shock at the utterly strong taste, almost spitting the stuff out.

            Jack burst out laughing as I stared in disbelief at the brown liquid in the can, and I set it down on the tray and decided to move on from that. It was almost as bad as beer!

            "How can ya drink dat stuff?" I asked, and he smiled wildly.

            "It's Pepsi. And kids nowadays love it."

            "Dat's disgusting!"

            "Well, it's basically just carbonated water and sugar."

            I sighed and decided to try the 'macaroni'. It looked kinda disgusting, but at least I didn't pull it out of the trash like a lot of things I had to eat. Jack was already digging in, so I decided it couldn't be _that_ bad.

            I took a small bite, chewing carefully as Jack watched with amusement.

            Well, they didn't call it macaroni and cheese for no reason. It tasted...cheesy.

            "It's not bad." I said, taking another bite. In fact, it was pretty good.

            We ate in silence for a few moments before I looked up and noticed a strange object in the room. I gestured to the large black box sitting across the room as I said, "Hey Ja…Andy…what's that?"

            He looked up at it with disinterest. "That's a television. A TV."

            I raised an eyebrow, and he laughed once again. I was getting sick of being laughed at. 

            "You're honestly from the past, aren't you? This isn't a joke?" he asked.

            "Look, even in dis time, I don't think anyone would be crazy enough ta go around tellin' people dey been time travelin'."

            "Yeah, guess you're right. Here…let me show you how the TV works before you make a complete fool of yourself in public." He picked up a smaller black box with buttons on it. "This is a remote. It controls the television."

            He pressed a button, and the black box suddenly lit up with moving pictures of people. I watched with amazement as someone talked about a murder that had been committed, and pictures showed of a house with police tape around it, police walking around the area. 

            "So…this is happening _now_?" I asked after a moment, not quite understanding.

            "No. They recorded it on camera a while ago. They're just playing it now."

            "Ooooh. Okay."

            It wasn't like I understood or anything. I just had to get over all this future stuff and get on to the point of the whole conversation. He turned off the television, and I took a deep breath.

            "Listen, Andy…the reason I came here to find you is because you're supposed to live in the year 1899. You're Jack Kelly, a newsie."

            Jack looked at me carefully, and I could tell he didn't believe me. He took another swig of Pepsi and looked at the floor.

            "I did believe you, up until this point. I mean…I've always lived here. I've never even heard of a newsboy except in history class." He said, and I sighed heavily, putting my head I my hands. This was impossible! None of them would ever believe me…let alone twelve of them in one month. Or was it thirteen?

            I felt like screaming and crawling under my bunk bed. But in order to do that, I'd have to have access to my bunk bed. And in order to get access to my bunk bed, I had to finish this in a month. One lousy month.

            "Blink? Are you okay?"

            Just keep your eyes on the prize.

            _Mush_.

            "Yeah, I'm okay. And I need you to come to Cleveland with me." I said with new vigor. 

            "Cleveland? Why Cleveland?"

            "There's someone that I want you to meet."

            "And you expect me to just drop everything…school, family…and go on a wild goose hunt to Cleveland?"

            "Absolutely."

            "You're crazy!"

            "I know. And I'm not going to give up unless you agree to come with me."

            He stared at me, mouth hanging open in disbelief as I tried another drink of my Pepsi. Really, the stuff wasn't that bad. It just took some getting used to.

            "I…I just can't…this is…" Jack stuttered, and I got sick of being all nice about this.

            "Look, _Cowboy_…I've never known you ta turn down an adventure or challenge. Da love of my life is waitin' in San Francisco, and in order for me ta get dere, you have ta come ta Cleveland with me. And I'm gonna get you dere if I have ta tie you up and drag you. So what do ya say?"  

            Jack swallowed hard and looked from me, to the floor, then back up to me.

            "So…when do we leave?"

AN: Sorry the chapter was short. Working up my stamina. I hate being sick! Agh……….I need to go read some fluff. Some nice, Mush/Blink fluff or something. And then I need to write the next chapter of this. Thank God for pain killers.


	5. David is that really you!

AN: Once again, sorry about the lack of updates. I guess everyone has their bad times, and these are my bad times right now. Ugh.

Sorry about the mess-up. I WILL be using Flare's CC character in this chapter. I promise.

Blink

            We didn't waste any time after that. Jack threw some clothes in a bag, grabbed his money, and we snuck out the back door. He had a blue car behind the house- and unlike everyone else, he didn't use it that often. I guess it didn't surprise me that he would retain something from his newsie life- walking everywhere.

            "The love of your life, huh?" He asked as we pulled out of the driveway. "Who is she?"

            I practically choked when he asked that. What if being gay was punishable by death in this time or something? Maybe it was illegal…was it safe to tell him? 

            "Are you okay?" Jack asked, glancing at me but mainly keeping his eyes on the road.

            "I'm fine."

            "Are you gonna tell me who she is?"

            "Um…no. Not until you remember hi…her yourself."

            "And just how am I supposed to remember?"

            I started to speak but wasn't quite sure what to say. I had no idea how he was supposed to remember all this. No idea at all. 

            "It's a long way to San Francisco, you know."

            "Yeah…I know."

            "You must really love this girl."

            I sighed heavily. Did he have to linger on the subject? "Yeah. I do."

            We traveled in silence for a while, until he spoke up again. "So, what's our game plan once we're in Cleveland?"

            "Well…we find David first, and then-"

            Quite suddenly the car swerved across the center line and I grabbed onto anything I could as the car skidded, and Jack slammed his foot down on the brake. The car began to spun and I was screaming like a girl the whole time, unaware that this thing could actually crash. Finally we came to a stop, and I gasped for breath, waiting for it to start moving again or something.

            "Blink! Are you okay?" Jack asked frantically, and I nodded. He ran a hand through his hair, and then he said, "David…David Jacobs?"

            I swear, my heart stopped. 

            I looked up at him, and we really, truly connected for the first time, my eyes not meeting those of Andrew Kelly from Philadelphia, but those of Jack Kelly, a Manhattan newsie. We sat frozen for a moment, and then we both snapped off our seatbelts at the same time and tackled each other in a hug.

            "I can't believe dis! I just can't believe it!" He was saying over and over. Then, the sound of a car horn honking alerted us to the fact that we were still sitting in the middle of a country road. Luckily for us, no one had been coming when he'd had his sudden memory recovery.

            Jack slammed the car back into drive and I took a deep breath and snapped on my seatbelt as he pulled back into the correct lane and built up speed again. 

            "Blink, what in da hell happened?!" Jack asked, his old New York accent completely restored.

            "It was Pulitzer. Somehow, he sent us forward in time. But my memory didn't get erased, like the rest of you guys."

            "You mean…there's more of us?"

            "Including you and me…fourteen."

            Jack's jaw clenched and he gripped the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were white. "What can I do ta help?"

            "Well…as soon as we find David and convince him, I have ta send you two back."

            "I can't stay and help you?"

            "Nope…don't think so."

            We talked about the situation for quite a while, until he finally asked the question I wasn't quite sure I wanted him to ask.

            "So…da love of your life? In San Francisco?" he said, raising his eyebrows a little. I blushed madly and found something very interesting on the floor to look at, and he laughed. "You and Mush _finally_ figured things out?"

            "How'd you know?"

            "Everyone knew except for you. I mean, you're the same as Snitch and Skittery."

            "Snitch and Skittery are together?!"

"What are ya, blind? They're so head over heels for each other it ain't even funny."

"But…they don't…"

"I didn't say they _knew_ yet. They're as bad as you and Mush are."

"…Are we there yet?"

"A few more hours."

"I have ta spend a few more hours in a _car_? With _you_?"

"Yep."

            About a half hour later, I was asleep. I don't know how I managed to fall asleep while the car was moving, but after a while the steady hum of the engines seemed to be a sort of relaxer. I was only awakened when Jack started yelling.

            "Get up, ya bum! We got papes ta sell!"

            "No we don't. Leave me alone." I muttered after remembering where I was.

            "Well, maybe not…but we's ten minutes from Cleveland."

            I opened my eyes to find that the world around us was dark, but moving lights were everywhere. They blinded me as they flew past, and I rubbed my eye.

            "We can't go looking for him tonight." Jack added.

            "Why not?"

            "Because it's considered rude, Blink."

            "Since when did you care about bein' polite?"

            "Blink…"

            "We can't waste any time. I have _one month_, Jack."

            "But we can't make bad impressions, either. Remember what we're doing here…we're walking up ta people and tellin' them ta throw their lives away and go back in time. Do you think dey want us showing up at their door at one in da morning?"

            "…I guess you're right."

            "I'm always right."

            "Sure."

            And so we stopped for the night at a small inn (whatever Jack could afford with his limited cash), where Jack showed me the miracle of showers that were actually hot, coffee machines, microwaves…and the best of God's miracles…room service.

            I mean, come on. People in this time thought that this stuff was a required amenity, but I felt like a king. I mean, this guy _brought me food in my room_.

            If I weren't hell-bent on getting to Mush, I might've lived in that inn my whole life.

            That was all I thought about that night. As Jack fitfully slept in the other bed I sat up in the pitch dark and bit back tears, realizing just how hopeless this was. I tilted my watch toward the ray of light coming through the cracked-open bathroom door, finally letting a few tears fall. 26 days, 22 hours, 47 minutes and 12 seconds. This was not possible. I'd never make it. The strike was going to fail, and I would probably die before I found him.

            People say that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

            They're all fucking liars.

            I woke up the next morning to bright sunlight filtering through the window, and I bolted upright and looked at the clock on the wall.

            9 o'clock. I'd slept in. In all the days of my life, I'd chosen one of the most vital to oversleep on.

            I threw back the covers and leaped out of bed, only succeeding in getting my legs tangled in the covers and falling flat on my face. The next thing I knew, Jack was at my side, pulling me up to my feet.

            "Why didn't ya wake me up?!" I demanded, ripping my arm away from him.

            "Chill. I've already found someone who can help us. Hurry up and get dressed."

            "But-"

            "Get dressed. Now."

            I threw on some clothes as quickly as possible, and then I walked out into the lobby, where Jack was standing talking with another person. And when I got a clear look at this person, I just about dropped dead.

            The guy's hair was bright pink, and he was very tall, probably even taller than Skittery…and that's saying a whole lot. His pants were lime green and skintight, and he was wearing a skintight black shirt. 

            And this guy…was wearing _makeup_. No kidding. 

            Needless to say, I was completely speechless as he turned and held out his hand for a handshake.

            "Blink…this is Spike. He knows David…well, Darren…from school."

            I couldn't find the energy to raise my hand. I was busy trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. 'Spike' let his hand drop, and then he began circling me like a hungry wolf, inspecting me carefully.

            "You know, you have a really cute ass. You really need to wear something that shows it off a little more. Something…tighter." He said, and then he proceeded to slap me on the ass. I jumped about three feet in the air, spinning around so Jack could protect me from behind.

            "Umm…no thanks…I'll pass." I stuttered, my good eye now partially blinded from all the neon colors.

            Spike shrugged. "Suit yourself. So..let's go find Darren."

            He began walking quickly, and I practically had to jog to keep up with his long strides. I stayed close to Jack, but he seemed completely comfortable around this…um…creature.

            I guess this answered my question about the acceptance of gays in the future. If only Mush and I could stay here.

            He drove one of the smallest cars I'd ever seen- a tiny blue thing that Jack described as a Volkswagon Beetle. And after driving for only a few minutes, we came upon another school.

            "We aren't gonna pull him out of class, are we?" Jack asked, and Spike laughed.

            "We won't have to. He has study hall this hour. Follow me."

            We followed him into the school, through a few hallways, and finally to a stairwell. And behind the stairway, we found our sweet and innocent David Jacobs getting hot and heavy with a bombshell blonde.

            He was startled by our sudden appearance, and promising the blonde another 'time slot' later, he sent her away. He then turned to us, wiping the lipstick off his face and straightening his shirt.

            "What do you fuckers want? I was _busy_ here!!"

            Wow. Of all things, that was the last thing I expected to hear come out of David Jacob's mouth. And as we stood shocked, he looked at Jack a little harder.

            "Do I know you from somewhere?"

            "Um…well, no….I mean, you did, but not…I mean…"

            I would've been quite amused by Jack's meaningless stuttering had the situation been any different. But now I had to take over while Jack gathered his wits.

            "Is there a place we can talk to you? In private?"

            David threw his hands into the air. "Look, man, if I screwed your girl, it was strictly sex. Nothing more. I try to explain that to 'em before I bang 'em, but sometimes those broads just don't get it."

            For the third time that day, I felt like dropping dead.

            "David, we just need to-" Jack started.

            "David? My name isn't David, buddy."

            "I mean…..Darren…"

            I was sick of this charade. I grabbed David by the arm and started dragging him away, only stopping when he started clawing at my arm.

            "Hey man! Stop! What are you, crazy?" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm.

            "Yes. I'm absolutely insane. And you're coming with us."

            "I don't think so!"

            "I know so. I'll tie you up and drag you if I have to."

            David swallowed hard as Spike and Jack and I led him out, and this was where I became truly disgusted with him.

            "Come on..this isn't funny…just let me go home, I'll never cause you guys trouble again…look, whatever I did, I'm sorry!" he pleaded as we took him out to the car. And the whole time we were driving to the hotel- a good place to chat- he was whining and sniveling.

            One thought was plaguing my head the whole way there: This may be a little harder than I thought.

AN: Yay! Next chapter, we see if David is receptive at all to this absurd notion that he was a newsie. Thanks again to Flare for the most certainly eccentric CC character! I hope I wrote him how you'd hoped…and I think he may be in the next chapter as well. ^__^

  
  



	6. Seize the Day

AN: Sorry about the update gap. I've been grounded. But who needs good grades in Economics anyways?

Alright. On with the story.

Blink

            We dragged David out of the school, but we didn't get far. Because waiting right there at the entrance were my two best friends in the whole world, machine guns and all.

            They lifted the guns, and we scattered, David following me and Spike and Jack sprinting the other way. And then they opened fire.

            Right in front of a school building.

            What, were they desperate to have me dead or something?!

            "Don't let 'em shoot me! I promise, I won't sleep with anyone's daughter or girlfriend for the next month! Just don't let 'em shoot me, man!" David shrieked, and then he began screaming like a girl as bullets hit the cars around us. I dragged him through the parking lot, staying behind the cars and keeping as much distance as possible between us and those crazy bitches.

            A car pulled up next to us, and Spike and Jack yelled for us to get in, and we practically dived in the backseat. By this time, David was swearing to become a nun if we'd just take him home.

            I breathed a sigh of relief as we pulled out onto the busy highway, knowing that we could probably lose them here. I turned to David, adjusting my eye patch.

            "Would you stop whining and _listen ta me_?" I demanded, and he finally shut up. I took a deep breath, trying to decide what to say and how to say it. "Look, David…"

            "My name's not David!"

            "It was! You just don't remember!" I snapped, realizing just how high strung I was. David looked at me wide-eyed, and I could tell he thought I was absolutely insane. I could understand why, too.

            "You were a newsie." I said, a little calmer than before. 

            "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, looking from me, to Jack, to Spike, and back to me. 

            "You were a newsie in 1899. You were gonna help us strike, but Pulitzer sent you into da future to stop da strike." Jack suddenly blurted. "You were David Jacobs. You had a little brother named Les and an older sister named Sarah."

            No response. David looked absolutely lost. Then, he started giggling.

            "You know what? This is a really good joke. I mean, a _really_ good joke. But it's not funny anymore. Who put you up to doing this? Was it Staycie, maybe Alicia?"

            "No one put us up ta dis. We're telling da truth." I insisted, but this just made him laugh even harder.

            "I don't know how you got those machine guns to look so realistic, but it was great. Really great. Can I go now?"

            "You aren't leaving until you remember." Spike added from the driver's seat.

            "This _really_ isn't funny."

            "No, it's not funny." I said. "Not for any of us. We're not enjoying dis any more than you, believe me."

            David looked at each one of us in turn, and then his eyes widened even more, if that's even possible. "You guys are insane. I'm locked in a car with a bunch of nuts who probably think aliens have invaded Earth."

            "Actually-"

            That start-off by Jack was enough to send David into hysterical screaming and cursing, and I had to curl up against the car door to avoid being smacked or punched. David started to open the car door, but I grabbed him and pulled him back and then reached over him and closed the door.

            I was getting very sick of David, very fast. I mean, he hadn't been my favorite as it was, but this was getting ridiculous.

            "Calm down!" I yelled, and he slowly stopped struggling and just sat and pouted for a moment. I took this opportunity to lean up against the front seat and talk to Jack.

            "What can we do ta make him remember?" I asked.

            "I don't know. I remembered from hearing about David."

            I leaned back and got David's attention, and then I gestured to Jack. "This is Jack Kelly. Leader of da Manhattan newsies. Don't you remember him?"

            David shook his head and just went back to pouting, and I groaned in frustration. This David was as bad as Skittery.

            But he had to have a trigger. There had to be something that, if we mentioned it to him, would bring back all those memories. We just had to figure out what that was. 

            "Hey David." Spike started.

            "_Darren_."

            "Yeah. Darren.            You're on the school newspaper staff, aren't you?"

            David nodded.

            "Why is that?"

            David looked up and shrugged. "Just for credit."

            "But what do you always get in trouble for?"

            "I don't get in trouble in that class."

            "Yeah, right. What did you get in trouble for last week?"

            David looked around at our expectant faces, probably wondering if there was a catch. But eventually, he gave in and answered.

            "I exaggerated the headline. So more of the kids would buy it."

            "And who taught you how to do that?"

            "What does this have to do with anything?"

            I smiled. "It's the newsie in you comin' through, Davey. Us newsies, we always exaggerate da headlines ta sell more papes. So dat just proves you're David Jacobs. Not Darren."

            "That doesn't prove a thing."

            Well, at least we were one step closer- we had him thinking about it, at least. And as Spike pulled into the hotel David was oddly silent, obviously toying with the new revelations in his head.

            But it didn't last long. Soon David was back at whining, all the way back to the room.

            "When can I go home?"

            "You can't."

            "But you can't keep me here forever!"

            "I most certainly can."

            I sat down by the window in the room, looking out at a beautiful view of a brick wall. I was so sick and tired of this that I already wanted to throw in the towel- but I couldn't do that. 

            _San Francisco__. Just keep thinkin' of __San Francisco__, Blink._

"You's gonna make it."

            I jumped as Jack sat down next to me, and David looked up with abated interest from his spot on the floor.

            "I don't know. It feels like it's takin' forever." I said. Jack smiled. 

            "Look, Blink…I know you. Maybe not as well as Mush, but I know you pretty damn well. And I know dat dere's no way you're gonna let yourself lose him."

            "But he won't remember me, even if I make it!"

            "I don't think dere's any way he could've forgotten you. Just take it one day at a time. Seize the Day."

            All of a sudden David rocked backward, yelping in surprise and shaking his head as if to clear it. We all looked down at him, confused, until he looked up and spoke.

            "You stole my line, Jack!"

            Seize the day! That had been it, his trigger! And we had hit it purely by accident!

            David and Jack hugged each other tightly, and I joined in on the group hug as Spike looked on with amusement. Then, David's face turned grim and determined.

            "Let's go back and _kick his ass_."

            Jack smiled. "Sounds good ta me."

            I turned to Spike, choosing my words carefully. "Thanks, man. We couldn't have done it without you."

            He grinned. "I know. Glad ta help."

            A few seconds later, Jack and David each had a hand on my watch, and with one final choked goodbye, I pressed the button.

            I expected them to disappear into thin air.

            But I blacked out before I saw a thing.

AN: Yay! Two down, eleven to go. And if you want to put in a suggestion for the next newsie, go ahead. I'll consider it.

              
  



	7. Sweet No More

AN: Okay, time for chapter 6! Finally, an update!!!!!!!

The CC characters in this chapter are property of Tabloid. Not mine. Thanks to her!

Blink

            "Is it alive?"

            "He's a person, Smalltalk. Not an 'it'."

            "Okay…is _he_ alive?"

            "I don't know."

            I slowly opened my eye, only to find myself in almost complete darkness. I was in an alley, dim light filtering out from the street.

            "Hey…you okay?"

            My eyes focused in on the person kneeled beside me, his dark eyes studying me like a predator taking in his prey. I shot upright, and he jumped back.

            "Where am I?" I choked out, and he looked up at the girl with him.

            "You're in Chicago. You know…the windy city…" the girl said, and me eyes immediately shot down to my watch. How long had I been out? And how the hell did I get to _Chicago_?

            25 days, 0 hours, 34 minutes, 8 seconds.

            And I was losing time…um…by the second. Literally. And yet…I had only lost a few minutes since sending David and Jack back. 

             I shakily stood up, and tried to run to the end of the alley, almost falling over twice. The boy and girl were automatically at my side, helping me stand up straight.

            "Hey, hey…slow down. What's wrong?" the guy asked, and I wrenched out of his grip and reached into my pocket, pulling out my list of names. I quickly found the name associated with Chicago- Peter Kent.

            "You need to sit down." The girl started.

            "No…I've gotta find him. _Now_." I snapped.

            "Find who?"

            I started walking again, forcing them to keep up. "Peter Kent."

            The girl immediately stopped. "You're looking for _Peter Kent_? What drove you to that kind of insanity? I mean, first of all, you'd probably be arrested for just being seen with him. And he'd probably just shoot you anyway. Not to mention there's a slim chance he's actually where I would think he is, cause I try to avoid him in the first place…"

            I stopped and turned around, interrupting her in mid-sentence. "Do you know where I can find him?"

            She looked at her male companion, and he shrugged. "He's pretty much impossible to find."

            I groaned and turned around, beginning to walk away, but I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.

            "Wait. He's not _impossible_ to find…just very difficult." The girl said.

            "_So where can I find him?_"

            I didn't mean to snap at her, but she didn't seem phased anyway. She continued on, receiving disappointed glares from the boy with her. "Well, you'd probably have to find a guy from his gang. Or a girl. I mean, it used to be a guys only thing, but it opened up to girls about a year ago. Anyway, if the guy doesn't kill you, he might tell you where to find Peter. Or he might just tell you to get lost."

            _Was she ever going to stop?_

            The guy must've noticed the incredulous look on my face, and he quickly interrupted. "What she's saying is that you just need to get into gang territory and ask around and hope you don't get shot."

            Well. Chicago hadn't changed a bit.

            I mumbled a 'thank you' and turned to walk away, but the girl reached out and grabbed my arm, yanking me back.

            "Are you _insane_?! You're gonna end up dead trying this!"

            I shrugged. "Yeah. I'm insane. And I've gotta try."

            "We'll help."

            The boy looked at his companion in complete shock. 

            "Well, _you_ can help. Personally, I'm not going anywhere near Peter Kent."

            "Aw, Tabloid…please?"

            "No."

            I rolled my eyes, and then walked away from them in mid-argument. I didn't have time to wait on them, and I certainly didn't need their help if all I had to do was ask around. Besides, I'd lived on the streets my whole life. Gangs were nothing new to me. I could handle things.

            Someone grabbed me from behind and I jumped in shock, spinning around only to find that annoying girl standing there.

            "Where are you going?" She asked, sounding very mad at me.

            "I don't have time ta wait on you and your boyfriend ta sort things out. I gots a schedule to keep."

            "But-"

            I didn't even give her a chance to finish. I continued walking, sighing in frustration when she persisted in following me. And it wasn't long before I heard another set of footsteps, and Tabloid had joined us.

            People in this time were too helpful for their own good.

            I stopped and turned to face them. "Look, I'm fine. I don't need any help."

            "Do you have a gun?" Tabloid asked.

            "No."

            "A knife?"

            "Um…no."

            "Mace?"

            What in the hell was mace? "I don't think so."

            Tabloid shot the girl an amused look. "Then you're definitely going to need our help."

            I scowled. "I don't _need_ anyone's help."

            I don't know why I snapped at them like that. Maybe the whole ordeal was getting to me more than I thought it was. But as I walked away, I realized that I'd made a mistake in not accepting their help, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

            It didn't take me long to find someone to ask. But just asking was probably the biggest mistake of my life.

            "Where can I find Peter Kent?"

            The boy I asked immediately had a gun at my head, one finger on the trigger. I started to back away, but when he cocked the gun, I decided that wasn't the best idea.

            "You an undercover cop?" he asked, and I shook my head.

            "No. I'm just an old friend of Peter's."

            "He didn't say you was coming."

            "He didn't know."

            He stood for a moment, uncertain, and then he caught sight of something behind me and his eyes widened.

            "Tabloid, what are you doing here?"

            I turned around- probably a bad idea with a gun still to my head- and there stood Tabloid, Smalltalk standing behind him.

            "Put the gun away, Todd."

            "But-"

            Smalltalk broke in. "He said put the gun away. And you know, the last time he told you to put the gun away and you didn't, you remember what happened that time, don't you? Oh, that was back when you were dating Tiffany! How is she, anyway?"

            Uncomfortable silence.

            Then, he put the gun away.

            "So you guys know this idiot?"

            "Yeah. Is there any way he can see Peter without getting shot up?" Tabloid asked. Todd shifted uncomfortably, the gun still in his hand.

            "You know that's not a good idea, man. I could get in some deep shit for that."

            "He's harmless. He isn't even armed."

            Todd laughed, and finally put the gun away. "Is he nuts?"

            "I think so."

            Todd looked from me, to Tabloid, and back to me. "Alright, but you guys are taking your lives into your own hands."

            He led us down a few side streets and to an apartment building, where we went to the third floor. A few guys and girls stood in the hallway, laughing loudly and obviously drunk, and I was a bit nervous as we passed them. They ignored us, and Todd stopped and knocked on a door labeled 312. The music inside was so loud that I was surprised that everyone wasn't out in the hallway to avoid going deaf.

            "Who is it?" A voice yelled from inside.

            "It's Todd. Got a guy here who wants to see Peter."

            A hesitation. "Come on in."

            Todd turned to Smalltalk and Tabloid. "You guys stay out here."

            I expected them to object, but they seemed okay with the decision. So Todd opened the door, and I followed him inside the cramped, smoky apartment. I was stunned by the type of 'music' they were playing- it wasn't really singing, it was just a bass line, drums, and some guy talking in rhythm. And the dancing looked more like some kind of indecent sexual act with clothes on than anything else. Well….some people had clothes on, anyway.

            People stared as I walked past, most of them stoned or drunk. A few girls and even one guy tried to drag me into dances, but I made sure to keep up with Todd. I was already getting a headache from the pounding bass of the speakers.

            Todd opened another door, and I sighed in relief as it closed behind us and the sound of the music was muffled a bit. I looked up, and there was Itey, a cigarette in his mouth and a girl on either side of him. He was wearing all black clothes and his eyes were lined in black, his hair was spiked up, and he was wearing what looked like a spiked dog collar and spiked bracelets. 

            "Who's this, Todd? A male prostitute?" he asked, studying me carefully. I certainly hoped I didn't give off the image of a male prostitute.

            "Nope. He says he needs to talk to you. Wouldn't say why, though."

            Itey threw down his cigarette, said something to the two women, and then he stood up and motioned for me to follow. Todd stayed put and I followed Itey into another room, and he slammed the door shut.

            "You've got thirty seconds. Talk."

            "Okay," I wasn't really sure where to start. I mean, Itey looked as if he might kill me after one word, and the gun in his belt didn't help the situation. "You were a newsie."

            "How much beer have you had?"

            "I'm not drunk. It…Peter, you've gotta listen ta me. You were a newsie, and you were sent forward in time ta stop da strike."

            "You're insane."

            "No, I'm telling da truth! Your name was Itey, and I'm Blink. Kid Blink. Don't you remember dis at all?"

            He suddenly pulled out his gun and aimed it, the barrel half an inch from my forehead, and I closed my eyes tight. _This is where it ends_, I thought. _I'm never going to find him. I'm going to die here._

            A few moments passed, and nothing happened. Even so, I waited a few more seconds before opening my eyes. He was standing there, gun to my forehead, his jaw clenched and his finger tight on the trigger. But as I looked at his eyes, I saw something there other than 'hardened criminal'. Something that reminded me that this was still Itey standing here, and not just some total stranger.

            "Itey…"

            "Get out of here before I blow your fucking brains out."

            "But-"

            "I said _now_!" 

            For a moment, I considered bolting before he really did pull the trigger. But something told me that he wouldn't.

            "I'm not going anywhere. I've come dis far, and some egotistical gangster isn't gonna end it."

            The sound of the gun going off followed, and I actually felt the breeze of the bullet as it passed over my head. I jumped back and ended up tripping over an end table, falling over backwards and slamming my head against the wall. I heard a kind of metallic ring, but thankfully I didn't pass out or anything. 

            And in about two seconds, the gun had replaced itself at my forehead.

            "That was really dumb. I could shoot you right now."

            "But you won't."

            "And how do you know that?"

            "I just do, _Itey_."

            "Stop calling me that!"

            I reached behind my head to make sure it wasn't bleeding before continuing. "Why, because you're starting to remember? Mush, Snitch, Skittery, Dutchy…all the others? You remember Pulitzer and the strike?"

            "I don't remember nothin'!"

            With that he turned and stormed out of the room, and I slowly stood up, wavering a bit from the sharp pain in my neck now. But I could tell that Itey remembered something. Otherwise he would've shot me right then and there.

            Quite different from the generally sweet little thief that always lost at poker back at the lodging house.

            I would need Tabloid's help to convince him. I didn't know whether he was high or just in denial, but either way, I had to get him to believe me.

AN: I didn't proofread this chapter. Sorry about any grammar errors. But hey, it's an update, isn't it?

So, next chapter, we've gotta convince our little Gangster!Itey. He's s cute, even wearing the spikes and eyeliner! 


End file.
